Long days
by Yidhra
Summary: Pepper Pines has the face mobility of a baked potato, lacks the ability to give a shit about anything and is probably the most bored teen in Gravity Falls. Luckily Bill Cipher knows how to solve those problems. On the downside, he might or might not be bounded by a deal to follow this kid around the whole summer. Needless to say, he's not happy about this.
1. Prologue: Meeting Pepper

**The protagonist, Pepper, is non- binary and therefore, uses they/them pronouns. Just saying it now to avoid future confusions.**

 **Also, I reffer to Dipper as Mason, because it's his real name and because you don't see many adults called Dipper (it would be ridiculous). His friends and family still call him that though.**

* * *

The car came to a halt, again, like it had been doing for the past fifteen minutes. Pepper was very tempted to let out a groan. They had gotten up early trying to avoid this very situation, but as it seemed, traffic jams had the ability to emerge out of nowhere giving you no options to escape. All in all, they were trapped. Getting angry or impatient wasn't going to make the other cars go faster, so Pepper reclined their seat, readjusted their headphones and turned up the music.

On the other hand, Mason was having more difficulties at staying calm. He had always been somewhat nervous, and it didn't helped that he had been really excited to go on this family trip. He tapped the wheel a few times before looking at the passenger seat beside him, where the other part of this family looked blandly outside the window. He wondered how could Pepper be always so calm. They didn't took after him, that was for sure. They hadn't gotten it from their mother either, nor Mabel (he was pretty sure about that), grunkles Stan and Ford were out too... maybe it was just a phase, they were a teenager after all... He was too occupied with his thoughts to realize that Pepper was talking to him.

"Dad, hey dad, are you listening? The cars started moving again, if you don't hurry the guy behind us will start honking." Mason looked at the mirror. True enough, the man driving behind him (a middle-aged man with pretty obvious anger management problems) was eyeing him, and a vein had started to swell on his temple. Mason was quick to start the car again.

"So, are you excited?" Realizing that Pepper hadn't taken their headphones off, he tapped them on the shoulder. They made a surprised noise (that Mason was willing to ignore for the sake of their pride) and took off the massive headphones, courtesy of a very doting aunt, and left them resting on their shoulderblades.

"What?"

"I just wanted to have a normal conversation, you've been listening to music since we left home."

"I asked you if you minded and you said no..."

"Yeah, but you can't just be like that the whole ride..."

"Oh, okay." That seemed to be good enough for Pepper, who stuffed the headphones into their bag.

"So," he started again when Pepper turned to look at him expectanctly, "are you excited?" The kid frowned.

"About what?"

"Well, you're going to see your grunkles after, what, six years?" Pepper just shrugged, unsure of what to say. On one hand, it seemed like this was important for their father, on the other... well, they didn't know what to expect, so saying that they're excited would be lying. Mildly terrified would be a more accurate description for what they were feeling.

"I don't know, I was... seven? I don't remember much about them." It was true, Pepper had only seen Stan and Ford a few times in their life. The grunkles always kept in contact with Mason and her aunt, and they made sure to always send Pepper presents for their birthday (They were really weird, mind you, like that voodoo doll that Mason confiscated. Those were usually from Ford. Stan, on the other hand, would send them money to buy whatever they wanted. Pepper appreciated that.). However, skype conversations weren't really an option when you're travelling the world on board of a ship, so Pepper could hardly remember their faces, much less their personality. Pepper knew that Stan were a little rough around the edges, and that Ford was the nerdy one, but that was about everything they knew. "Sorry, dad."

"It's okay Pepper. I guess you'll have plenty of time this summer to get to know them, right? " Mason said, smiling. It was obvious that, for some reason, taking Pepper to Gravity Falls to spend the summer was important for him. It might have been because it was something he experienced as a kid, and he wanted Pepper to feel what he felt. It could be because he felt nostalgic... Or it could be because for the first time in twelve years he would get to have a vacation alone with his wife. Pepper didn't question it, though they believed that it was a mix between the three.

The conversation died a few exchanges later, as it usually happens when a full grown adult and an awkward teenager try to talk without any topic in common. This was okay with Pepper though, as they got to put on the headphones again after a few minutes of silence. Mason just turned on the radio and tried not to worry about his kid's social abilities. At least he had tried.

Finally, after some tedious waiting (courtesy of the traffic jam) and an uneventful journey, they arrived at gravity falls. Mason glanced briefly at Pepper, who was still staring out the window. He had learnt to distinguish the tiniest change in his kid's face, the expressions weren't noticeable at first, but they were there. The fact that Pepper had the face maleability of cardboard didn't mean that they were a psycopath, or so he liked to think. Right now they seemed rather interested in the trees, although that could be his imagination, or not, that twitch had to be... He should really stop trying to analyze his kid, he had talked with Candy about this, he had to stop trying to know everything and have everything under control. Just relax. Yeah, he could do that. He could just-

At that moment something impacted against the front window and Pepper let out a yelp of surprise, effectively scaring their father. Mason swerved the car to the right, in hopes that he wouldn't run over whatever it was, and the car screeched to a halt. They both looked at each other, being Mason the first to spring to action, yelling at Pepper to stay in the car once he was outside. Pepper didn't wait too long to follow him.

"What's that dad?" Mason was crouching near a tiny creature, shielding it from view, and was muttering to himself. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"It's just a bird, Pepper. Now go back to the car, you don't want to see it, believe me." He was right, Pepper's stomach was already churning at the perspective of a dead animal. It's not that they couldn't stand the view of gorey stuff, internet had made sure of that, but something about a dead animal just didn't sit well with them. While Pepper walked to the vehicle, Mason sighed and picked it up carefully, standing and walking to the side of the road and into the trees. When he was sure that Pepper couldn't see or hear anything, he lifted the creature until it was in front of his eyes. The gnome just gave him a crooked smile.

"Shmebulok!" Mason put it down on a nearby rock and massaged his temples. He hadn't expected to see any supernatural beings today, he hadn't even gotten to the town yet for God's sake!

"What, exactly, were you thinking when you jumped in front of the car?!"

"Shmebulok!"

"Yeah, yeah, just..." Mason sighed, "Just don't go jumping in front of people's cars, okay?" He was going to leave when a voice stopped him.

"Oh, but he didn't jumped, we threw him!" Mason turned to the voice and squinted.

"...Jeff?"

"See guys? I told you he would remember!" There were a few cheers that he shushed before speaking again. "We just wanted to say hi, and I thought, hey, why don't we throw him someone, like the old times?! Do you remember, when, uh... so maybe those weren't good times. Anyways, we never got around to thank you for getting us a queen!"

"What."

"Yeah, and right after that you just left so, say kid: what do you want? Unicorn hair? Fairy dust?" He covered his mouth and whispered. "A bath of squirrels?"

Now, Mason was completely unaware of having helped the gnomes with their queen problem, but Pepper was still waiting in the car and he honestly didn't wanted to know. "Sure, guys, uh, that'll do." He said, and quickly left the gnomes behind.

"Which one?" He heard Jeff yell behind him.

"You know, the thing. Yeah, uh, that one."

Back in the car he decided that he would have to talk again with Stan and Ford about keeping the "mysteries of gravity falls" well away from his kid. He wanted Pepper to have fun, not to fight against weirdos. And no dating. Definetly no dating. If Mabel was anything to go by, that could only end badly (or worse, _weird_ ).

Pepper didn't seem too prone to talk about the incident after that, which worked great for Mason, as he wasn't especially good at lying. They soon arrived at the Mystery shack, which had thrived under Soos' management and had grown in size. A house had been built on one of it's sides, and stuck out like a mushroom that had grown on it over time. Sitting on two chairs in the porch were Stan and Ford.

Mason honked, startling Pepper, who had been about to fall asleep. They looked at their father, annoyed at the harsh (although unintentional) treatment, and then at the two old men that were approaching the now parked car. They looked in their seventies, though they didn't seem to have any mobility problems. Pepper supposed that living as a sailor had it's own advantages. One of them, the one that had a slight hunch, looked grumpier than the other, so that would be Stan. The other, approaching faster than his moody counterpart, had to be Ford. Aside from a few more wrinkles they looked the same as in the photos Pepper had seen, though Stan wasn't wearing a fez, and instead of a suit he wore some trousers and a jumper.

Mason practically jumped from the car as soon as it stopped, and Pepper decided that following him was a better idea than just standing awkwardly near the car waiting for their father.

"Dipper! It's so good to see you!" Said the man that was supposedly Ford. "I've made some discoveries that..." Mason was quick to shush him, nodding his head on Pepper's direction. Migh-be-Ford seemed to understand, as whatever he had to say next never left his mouth. Might-be-Stan arrived shortly after, gave Pepper a once over and scratched his belly. He looked unimpressed, Pepper took a liking to him immediately.

"Is this your so-," he stopped when Might-be-Ford started shaking his head violently, "daught...?" Might-be-Ford covered his eyes with a six fingered hand. At least that confirmed his identity. Stan looked exasperated. "Kid, is this the kid or what?" As much as they liked the frustated expression on Stan's face, Pepper decided that this was a time as good as any other to intervene.

"And you? Are you the exconvict scammer?"

"Yep, that's me! Wait, no, that's... Kids shouldn't be allowed to say things like that with a straight face! I think..."

"Anyways," Interceded Ford, "how about we keep talking inside?" Mason agreed, hoping that Pepper would just drop the subject. They could be a real pain if they wanted to and they liked to prod on the most sensible matters. He was sure that they didn't do it with bad intentions; in fact, at those times Pepper seemed genuinely curious, as if pressing the buttons of a person was just another riddle. As a riddle lover himself, he was proud. As a parent, he found it slightly creepy and worrying.

Mason enjoyed the rest of the morning with the company of his grunkles and his kid. Soos came by too, but he was busy with the shack, so it didn't last long. He left Pepper with him, looking at the exhibitions, while he reminded Stan and Ford to not let anything remotely supernatural near his kid. After reassurances from Ford and some grumbling from Stan (but not before having lunch with them), he was satisfied enough to leave. He didn't want to lose his flight, and Candy was already waiting for him at the airport.

Both old men, Pepper and Soos saw him off. Soos didn't stop waving until the car was nowhere in sight. He left soon after, having to go back to his business, leaving Stan and Ford in an uncomfortable silence (Pepper had lost the ability to care a long time ago, or perhaps never had it to begin with).

"So..." Started Ford, but couldn't find anything to say. All his conversation topics circled around the mysteries of Gravity Falls or the dimensions he had visited, which were topics expressively prohibited by Dipper. He gestured wildly to Stan, who just rolled his eyes.

"Hey kid, do you want me to teach you how to scam tourists?" Ford covered his eyes behind the glasses, why had he thought that they could take care of a child? The kid just shrugged, as if that was the most normal question in the world to ask a twelve year old.

"Sure, why not?"

"That's what I like to hear! Now follow me, let's start giving you an example, shall we?"

As he watched the two of them go, Ford couldn't help but think that this had been a huge mistake. He decided to follow them after a few seconds. At least if something went wrong he could just snatch the kid and let the angry tourists run around after his brother. It wouldn't be the first time that that had happened.


	2. Binding contract

**I haven't read proof this before updating, which is probably a mistake. But everyone is making mistakes in this chapter, so hey.**

* * *

Stan stared at the pancake with a face akin to disappointment. It wasn't supposed to be stuck to the ceiling. Now he had two options; he could get a chair and try to wrestle his breakfast back from the ceiling, or he could just leave it there and wait until gravity did it's magic. Seeing the collection of greasy circles around the unfortunate pancake gave him his answer. It didn't matter anyways, it wouldn't be the first time that he let one stuck there, and that time that one fell on Ford was hilarious.

He picked a few steaming pancakes for himself, letting the rest on a plate in the counter in case the kid decided to get up (or in case his brother remembered to eat) and sat at the table with a mug of coffee and the newspaper. A few minutes later he heard footsteps going down the stairs (he really had to change the wood, it was getting too creaky) and a dishevelled Pepper, still in their pijamas, entered the room. The kid looked at him, then at the pancakes, frowned when they saw the one in the ceiling and turned to look at Stan again with an unspoken question. Stan just grunted, not wanting to explain that he had gotten too excited while cooking. Pepper's frown deepened but they seemed to drop the subject in favour of grabbing their own serving of pancakes. A good decision, in Stan's opinion.

Pepper sat in front of him, still silent. Stan wasn't used to the silence; Dipper and Mabel had always filled it in the summer when they were younger and his brother had filled it with his rants when they were on board of the Stan O' War. He hadn't realized how used he had gotten to the chatter around him until now, and it was unnerving.

Pepper was a quiet kid, that, he had discovered the day before when Dipper left. He had tried to teach them how to scam a few tourists, and the kid had learnt well, he had to admit it, but it was obvious that it took some effort from their side to open that mouth. They reminded him of Stanford when he was little, always quiet and lost in thought. And speaking of the devil...

"Stan, why is there a pancake in the ceiling, again?" Stan shrugged, making a generic sound, and noticed that the kid was trying to hide a grin with their mug. Ford sighed and poured himself some coffee, sitting with them afterwards. Stan was surprised that he had gotten his nose out of his books to come and have breakfast, then again, they had a guest. Ford proved his brother's guess by talking to Pepper. "What do you have planned for today, Pepper? If you have nothing to do, we could show you the town, or we could go fishing to the lake."

Seeing the expectant looks of both their grunkles, Pepper almost felt bad for letting them down. "Uh, I kinda wanted to explore the forest a little..." When they saw the slight strain in Ford's smile they quickly added an apology. "But I won't be out the whole day, we could go this evening..."

"Sounds like a plan, eh, Pointdexter? We can start preparing the fishing rods, and I'll ask Soos if he wants to come with, business is going slow today anyways." Added Stan, who was eager to cheer his brother up. Ford scratched the back of his head, not seeming convinced.

"I don't know... Letting you wander alone in the forest seems a little..."

"Aw, c'mon Pointdexter! I let Dipper and Mabel wander in the forest all the time and they were fine!" At this, Ford shot Stan a meaningful look that made him sweat and shrink a little in his chair. Pepper looked at him cocking their head, now _that_ was some interesting reaction. They mentally made a note to ask about it later, knowing that it would be harder to get any information from Stan with Ford in the same room. Then joined Stan in trying to convince Ford.

"It'll just be for a while. Besides, I won't wander far from the shack, and I'll have my phone with me so you can call me."

Ford slumped, defeated. "Fine, but if you so much as see anything weird, you call us right away." Pepper quickly nodded, eager to gain his approval, and tried not to dwell on what would their grunkle mean with 'anything weird'.

Breakfast ended quickly after that, with Pepper listening to the twins' bickering and banter (which seemed to be the two only settings they had) and providing short answers when asked about something. It's not that Pepper didn't liked to talk, more like they always tried to say what people wanted to hear, and that was hard with people you had just met. So at first they just liked to listen, get to know people better. Some people would say that they were being manipulative, modelling their words to fit a person like that, but the truth was that Pepper just wanted to avoid any disagreement or argument. They didn't like to be at odds with people, it made them anxious.

So Stan and Ford talked, and Pepper listened and learnt.

Once they finished their breakfast, Pepper went upstairs to change clothes. They wore something simple, some shorts, a shirt, sneakers and a hoodie tied around their waist (it had been a present from their auntie, and it was their favourite). Pepper grabbed their backpack and checked it's contents while walking downstairs. Water bottle? Checked. The spare keys Stan had given them? Checked. Sunscream? Yep. Pocket knife that (for some reason) Stan had sent them as a bithday present last year? Checked. Cap...? Where was the cap? Pepper rummaged some more before remembering that they already were wearing it, they tsk'ed in annoyance and went to announce that they were leaving to their grunkles.

The forest in itself was a sight to behold, with trees like pillars that seemed to hold the sky-like ceiling. It was full of life too, and Pepper found themselves trying to walk as quietly as possible, in hopes of seeing some sign of wild life. So far they had caught sight of three squirrels and a bird they couldn't recognize, the animal sightseeing wasn't going too well. They also had picked a blue flower they found curious and put it inside of a notebook to dry, but besides that, their exploring turned out to be quite uneventful. Or so Pepper thought until they heard it. Him. The Voice.

They had sat to rest against a stump they had found when they heard it for the first time. It seemed to come from everywhere and no place at all at the same time. That was... odd. It sounded happy, but in a hollow way; as if someone was trying to fake a smile with their voice. Something in it made Pepper's hair stand on end.

"Hey kid, tired of walking already?" It said with false cheerfulness.

"Who is there?"

"You know, I met another wimpy kid like you once," continued the voice, ignoring Pepper, "he wore a cap and stuck his nose into other people's business too! So much in common, you would be suuuch. Good. Friends!"

"Who are you? Where are you hiding?" Repeated Pepper, who was starting to feel a mix of panick and annoyance.

"Sheesh, impatient, are we? But I guess you do have a point, kid! How ill mannered of me, I haven't introduced myself! Bill Cipher, at your service! And I am everywhere! But, if you want something more specific, you can watch what's in front of you."

Pepper frowned and stood up, searching the forest for signs of another person. Their eyes met with a strange shape that they hadn't noticed before, it was covered in moss and vines, and something told them that the voice was talking about it. What else could it be? Besides, checking wouldn't hurt anybody.

They knelt beside it and started peeling off the vines, what proved to be a challenge, as they were much more tight than Pepper had thought. Soon Pepper saw what was behind them: a stone statue in the form of a triangle with an extended hand. They frowned in distaste, had they gotten their hands full of moss just for this? And why was it wearing a top hat?

"Is this a prank or what?" Pepper asked to the nothingness, feeling more annoyed than before.

"I know that it is hard to comprehend that such a handsome face could exist, but it's no joke, that's me. The one and only! And now that we've finished with the introductions, how about making a friend a favour?"

"We're not friends."

"Ouch. That hurts, y'know? You hurt my feelings. That's no way of treating your new friend, and, let's be real here, you are in dire need of a friend. Alone, new in the town, stuck here for all the summer..." The voice listed. "Does that ring any bells, Woodpecker?" Pepper frowned, knowing that Bill was somewhat right.

"I have my grunkles-"

"They're old!"

"-and my name is not 'Woodpecker'." They deadpanned.

"Aaaw, don't be mad, it's just a little nickname for my new friend! And we both know that Stan and Ford are not going to do. I mean, fishing? Really? I'm much more fun! And you hate boredom, don't you? What's wrong with a little bit of fun?" It was true, as much as their grunkles tried, well... Let's just say that fishing was not one of Pepper's passions. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to talk with the guy, right? They could just leave if he got too creepy.

"You don't seem to be young either... And how do you know my grunkles names? And the fishing thing?"

"What a sharp mind, those are some good questions... That I will answer if you do a little something for me." Pepper frowned, suspicious, but let him continue. "What about a deal? A favour for a favour, yes? That would be fair. See, I just want to get out of here, see the world! I've been stuck in this statue for decades now. So the only thing I need, is for you to get me outta here, and then I'll make sure you won't get bored ever again! Do we have a deal?"

"No."

"That's what I wanted to hear! Now come closer and... Wait, what?"

"I don't like those terms, they're too vague. And what are you anyways? Why are you stuck inside a statue?" Pepper inspected the statue, as if it would give them the answers to their questions.

Bill fell silent for a few seconds, he hadn't expected the kid to make so many questions. Then again, he hadn't expected the kid. After a while he composed himself, being quiet for too long would make the kid even more suspicious of him, and he couldn't pass this opportunity. Who knew when would anyone get near his statue again? No, he had to get Woodpecker's help. He _had_ to.

"Then why don't you make your terms yourself? As long as I get out I'm fine with anything! As for your other questions, I'm the spirit of knowledge, that's why your ancestors sealed me here. They couldn't bear The Truth. You know how people are afraid of things they don't understand, they even burnt people, for God's sake! Get it? _God's sake_ , because they burnt them for heressy." Pepper ignored the awful joke, trying to decide what to do about Bill. They were silent for a few minutes (that felt like eons for Bill) before giving an answer.

"Then how about I write a contract?"

"Yes, yes! That would do! But where do you plan to- Oh, I see you've got a notebook... And a pen... Ooookay... You know that normal kids don't usually bring that for a trip to the forest, do you?"

"Normal kids don't make deals with spirits of knowledge."

"Touché." Bill decided to shut up and let the kid work, he didn't wanted them to change their decision of helping him last minute. He was so excited that he was almost bouncing, 'almost' because statues can't bounce, but that would be solved in no time. He was, perhaps, too excited. And excitement made him make mistakes. For one, he let the kid write down their deal, which meant that he was letting them rethink it, which meant that there would be less loopholes for him to 'fill'. But he didn't care at the moment, after all, it was just a kid, and he was Bill Cipher. No kid could write a decent contract, let alone one that would outsmart him. The kid's voice brought him back to reality.

"I'm done. Do you want to read it or..."

"No, no, it's okay Woodpecker. We're friends, I trust your judgement! Just sign it and we'll begin to enjoy our summer. Ah, and no ink," he added when Pepper lowered their pen, "only blood will make it valid. Just let a drop fall on the paper and we're good."

Pepper took the pocket knife from their backpack, not really pleased with the 'drop of blood thing', and made a little cut on the tip of their left index finger, just enough to draw blood. And let the finger hover over the scribbled notebook page, waiting for the drop to fall.

* * *

Stan was watching TV in his couch when Ford entered the room, sporting a worried expression. Now, Stan _really_ wanted to keep watching this. The duchess was finally going to declare her undying love for the baron in public, and reveal herself as the long lost twin of the queen. But he knew that he couldn't just ignore Ford, so he sighed, muted the TV and directed his attention to his brother.

"Alright Poindexter, spill the beans."

"I don't think this was a good idea." Blurted Ford in return. Stan was silent for a moment, confused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, when have any of us ever had a good idea?"

"The kid, Stanley! I'm talking about Pepper!"

"Oh, that. Don't worry, it's just the forest, I'm sure they're okay." Ford shook his head, suddenly he looked older, tired.

"No, not that. What I try to say is that we shouldn't have agreed to taking care of them. The last time we took care of children a dream demon nearly took over our world. I don't think they ever realized just how near had they been to-"

"Exactly! Nothing that happens from now on can ever top that! Relax, Poindexter, we've had the monsters under control since the weirdmaggedon. Remember that they owe me for letting them hide in the shack and saving their sorry asses. What could ever go wrong?"

* * *

The drop fell to the paper rolling down a bit, still pulled by gravity, and stopped before falling out of the paper. Pepper didn't knew what had they've been expecting, but it wasn't that. That had been too simple, too innocuous, too... boring. They were shaken off from the disappointment by Bill's eager voice.

"Alrighty Woodpecker! Now for the final act, you just have to shake my hand!" Pepper stood slowly, looking warily at the statue's outstretched hand. What would happen if they just ran now? Would the deal be off? Would this so called spirit curse them and swear revenge? As tempting as it was, curiosity won over and Pepper grasped the statue's hand.

Suddenly blue flames generated from the spot Pepper was touching, and started spreading from the stone hand to the rest of the statue, that was soon engulfed in them. Pepper tried to pry their hand and get away, but they found that the statue had _moved_ and was now grabbing their hand tightly. Lucky for them, the blue fire didn't spread further up their arm, and most important, it didn't burn anything. Pepper tried to shield their face from the source of light with their free hand, and they did it in time, because right after that the statue before them emmited a flash of light.

Everything went still and eerily quiet for a second, and then the hand of the statue started shaking with fits of giggles. Soon the giggles became a manic laugh that flooded the forest. Pepper risked a glance at the being that was now before them, it was the triangle they had seen half buried in the ground - a distant, muted part of Pepper's mind noticed the top hat and a bowtie - but now it was yellow and had a slight glow. Bill started floating, still holding Pepper's hand, until he hovered over them. His only eye was closed as he laughed. He was free, finally!

"Gee Woodpecker, I really owe you. Who would have thought that a member of the very family that trapped me would be the one to free me? Oh, the sheer irony! This is hilarious! Wait until I tell good ol' Sixer, I can't wait to see his and Fez's faces! Oh, but I can't forget about my new friend, can I?" He said, turning his attention on Pepper once again. "Don't worry, Woodpecker, I will keep my side of the deal. You won't be bored ever again, because Weirdmaggedon is. About. To. Begin!" With a manic laugh, Bill rised both his hands to the sky in a dramatic pose. This would have struck fear, or at least a slight discomfort, on anyone watching. If something had happened. But it didn't. Instead Bill awaited silent, eye still closed and never changing position, until he decided to try it again. "I said. Weirdmaggedon is about. To happen!" Pepper, scratched their cheek, trying to look anywhere but the yellow triangle in front of them. "Right about NOW!" Silence echoed and Bill finally opened his eye, directing his gaze at the sky first (nothing had changed, not even a red speck on it) and resting it finally on the kid in front of him."What did you do?" At Pepper's lack of an answer, his eye turned black and his whole body changed to red. "What did you DO?!"

"I, uh, wrote a contract?"

"... What the hell did you write on that? Why can't I use my powers?!"

"Oh, you can use your powers, just... not however you want... or whenever you want to... or for whatever you want to..." A silent stare was the only answer Pepper got, so they decided it would be best to read the concerning clause out loud. Clearing their throat (and avoiding eye contact with Bill) they started reading from the contract. "Bill Cipher won't be allowed to use any powers he might have if the result of them opposes to Pepper Pines wants and/or needs. He will only use said powers in aid to Pepper Pines or any third party that Pepper Pines feel the need to specify. If the aim of these powers is ever percieved by Pepper Pines as harmful or detrimental, the effects will be automatically cancelled and will never take form..." Bill fell silent for a few seconds, before extending his hand and motioning for Pepper to hand him the contract. Thinking that he wanted to read the terms, Pepper complied (careful not to touch his hand, they were still a little freaked out after the whole flame ordeal). Once in his power, Bill was quick to try and torn the contract to pieces. He was once again met with disappointment when he found out that the paper in his hands didn't had a single scratch. There was an awkward silence and Pepper was the first one to break it. "Yeah, you can't break the contract... It's written, on the contract."

Bill's grip on the contract faltered, and the paper fell slowly to the ground. Then he himself floated down, letting the lower side of the triangle touch the ground gently, before he suddenly fell face down. Then he screamed. Loud. Like a wailing baby. Punching the ground and pulling up handfuls of grass with his tiny, black hands.

Pepper thought it was hilarious.

* * *

Stan hummed while setting the table. He had been doing that a lot these last years, humming, not setting the table (that too, but the humming was more unusual). It was, probably, because he was happier. Actually, scratch the 'probably', he _was_ happier, and he had all the reasons to be. He had gotten his brother back (in more ways than one), he had a tight relationship with his favourite kids (plus Soos and Wendy) and the travels with his brother had turned out to be more profitable than he had expected. So now he had a family, friends and enough money to live comfortably the rest of his life. So he was happy. More than happy, he was blissfully happy. Thrilled. Overjoyed. That is, until Bill Cipher entered his kitchen.

With a war cry (that sounded more like a startled scream to Pepper), he threw one of the spoons he had been holding in his hand to the triangle, hitting him right in the eye. Between Bill's pained screams and Stan's yelled threats at the triangle, it was a matter of time for Ford to arrive.

When he finally got to the source of the noise, he had to stop for a moment to really appreciate the whole beauty of the scene before him; Bill Cipher hovered as near to the ceiling as possible trying to avoid being hit. His eye was closed, and he was covering it with a hand while yelling all sorts of insults (some he had never heard) towards Stan. Meanwhile his brother tried to hit said triangle with an oily spatula (most likely the one he had been using to cook) while cursing, jumping on some occasions to try and reach Bill. And finally, but not less important, a very uncomfortable looking Pepper tried to blend with the wall behind them. Needless to say, they weren't being very succesful.

Ford took a moment to massage the bridge of his nose, trying to regain some calm (and feeling very much like it was seeping away from every pore of his being), before speaking.

"What's going on here?"

* * *

 **I have no idea how contracts work or the proper terminology to use. Just throwing this out there. In case anyone does (please don't get angry at me).**


	3. Back in the Shack

**Lily in the wind: Thank you and yes, Pepper is non-binary. They do have a sex biologically, so they're not completely androgynous, but they doesn't identify as neither male or female.**

 **DaughterofDarkness123: As I already said in the first chapter, Pepper uses they/them pronouns. I didn't state the fact that they were non-binary so I guess I understand the misunderstanding. However, I am afraid that those are not typos and it can't be changed.**

 **As a side note I must add that some of Pepper's behaviour may be hard to understand in this chapter, but I swear there's a reason guys.**

 **Also I now have a Tumblr (ysmirelwrites. tumblr. com) just to publish the shit I write and whatnot, where you can find the design I made for Pepper. I will probably post more (and hopefully better) from now on and also update with the new chapters. You can find a link on my profile.**

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"What's going on here?"

Stan stopped swatting his 'deadly' spatula at Bill to spare a brief glance at his brother. "Well, what does it looks like, genius?" He said, gesturing to the floating triangle. "The yellow freak is back, hurry up and do some sciency thing or somethin'!"

"Yellow freak?! I am an omniscient being! The all seeing eye! The nightmare demon! You can't- Woah! Hey, stop that!" Stan, in the proccess of ignoring the angry triangle, jumped and swung the oily spatula in a show of agility (that Pepper thought he shouldn't have at his age). Bill tried to avoid it by floating even higher but was met with the ceiling, and in between, a sticky... substance... thing. As the being froze in place, Stan's eyes widened in surprise and he let out a bark of laughter.

"Ha! Won't you look at that? Looks like someone found the lost pancake." He said, smiling with satisfaction, then making a mock reverence. "Would Sir 'All Seeing Eye' like some syrup to go with it?"

"Shut up Fez! Eugh! This is disgusting!" Now that Stan was too busy laughing to attack him, Bill lowered, letting the pancake slide slowly down his back and drop to the ground with a wet splat.

Meanwhile Ford had had the realization that he wasn't going to get anything out of those two and was approaching the only source of information left. Which was Pepper. Poor confused Pepper trying to be one with the wall. Things were looking grim for them.

Ford wasn't sure of what he was expecting (maybe a little resistance, since Pepper was supposed to be in a 'complicated age'), but a single rise of his eyebrow made Pepper spill out an explanation. It was vague and Pepper's expression kept being as stoic as ever (which didn't gave Ford the impression of them feeling guilty at all) but it was something.

Pepper stared. Bill had opted for a strategic retreat, which traduced to, apparently, hiding behind them in hopes that Stan wouldn't try another attack. Pepper wouldn't say that it was working, since Stan had lost interest alltogether a few moments ago, or rather, had been dragged to the next room by a livid Ford.

The kitchen was a counterpoint to everything that was happening right now. The table was set for three (as Ford had informed them before, they usually ate with Soos, but today he had gone out to eat with his girlfriend) and there was a steaming pot still over the heat - Stan must've had forgotten it there. The only thing out of place there in the midst of all the normalcy was the pancake forgotten on the ground, the floating being behind Pepper and... Pepper. Stan and Ford's voices became louder, angrier. Suddenly the smell of wine coated the air around Pepper like a thick fog. They could only breathe the bittersweet scent of wine (with an underlying touch of smoke). Their cheek started hurting, hurting, _hurting_.

Pepper searched, almost desperately, for something to do. A task to distract their overestimulated mind, and they found it on the floor in the form of a pancake and in the pot steaming innocently. They immediately began to work, muting the voices screaming in the next room.

Bill watched as the kid went stiff for a few moments (He could heard their heart pound rapidly and their breath hitch), then strighten their back and start cleaning the food on the floor. Their eyes seemed unfocused and focused at the same time, focused on the task at hand, ignoring everything else that happened around, Bill realized.

Normally he would be offended at a lower being ignoring him, but that was... odd. Something he didn't knew about. Bill didn't liked when there was something he didn't knew.

He didn't have time to ask for though, as the angry yelling (Stan and Ford's argument had been rising in volume and becoming more heated as the seconds passed) had stopped and the Pines twins were coming back to the kitchen. Ford entered first, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses, something Bill had seen him do often whenever he felt tired - phisically or psychologically - like an unconscious gesture (Bill tried not to dwell too much into the fact that he knew Ford well enough to recognize his little habits). Stan came next, still bristling, and spared Bill a look of pure hatred. Bill chuckled.

"Okay kid," said Stan, "let me see that contract." Pepper, that had been sitting at the table (and staring blankly at a fork) got up and walked to their bag, coming back later with that damned notebook that Bill had learnt to hate. Then they opened it, taking the ripped pages where they had written the contract and handing them to Stan.

The room fell silent as the brothers read the script, Ford leaning over Stan's shoulder for a clearer view. When they were finished Stan let out an impressed whistle. Both men sported oposite expressions, Stan smiling smugly and Ford sporting a deep frown. Needless to be said, Pepper was confused.

"It seems like a solid contract to me." It sounded like an apology, but he didn't look especially sorry about anything. It was obvious that this had something to do with what he had been talking about with Ford. Ford's frown deepened.

"But how did you get him to agree to... to this?" He asked. He had so many more questions that he wanted to ask, about Bill's bond with the contract and how it worked, what was binding him to it? What were the rules of a contract? Were there more than the ones Pepper had wrote themselves? Sadly, he doubted they would had the answer to those, so he would have to settle for the first one.

"He was desperate." Pepper simply said, like it was an obvious fact.

"I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were. Stan taught me yesterday how to distinguish when someone is desperate because is the best time to trick them." Stan laughed, then tried to pass it for a fit of coughing when he saw Ford's face of disapproval.

"Anyways," Stan procceeded, "Deal or no deal, the yellow freak can't stay he-"

"No, he has to stay."

"What?! Ford you can't be serious."

"We can't let him roaming free Stanley. At least here we know he's under control, you've read the contract and you've said it's solid. He has to do as Pepper says for now, so we have the summer to solve this... problem." He finished, gesturing vaguely towards Bill, who were floating behind Pepper, he had been strangely silent since Ford interrupted Stan.

"Then what's your plan? Let him live here with us until you find a way to turn him into a rock again? He's not going to wait around for you to find a way to defeat him."

"Hate to agree with Fez, but I have to stand with him in this one Sixer. Maybe we coul-"

"No." Interrupted Ford once again. Bill seemed confused.

"No? But Fordsie, I am offering you-"

"I won't listen to you Bill. I already learnt my lesson, so don't waste your time. And as for you," Now Ford turned to Pepper, who flinched back, no doubt expecting a reprimand. "I hope you've learned the lesson as well. No trusting Bill, am I clear?" Pepper nodded eagerly. "Very well, then, Stan, you'll keep an eye on both Pepper an Bill. Meanwhile I'll take the contract to my lab and see what can I do."

"I still don't think that he should stay here. He's dangerous Ford!" Ford slumped his shoulders and sighed, Pepper hadn't realized until now just how tired he looked.

"Pepper, go to your room for a while, okay?" Pepper nodded again, and Bill realized then that they hadn't even talked the whole time. That he had to go with them went unspoken, he supposed that Ford wanted to discuss some sort of strategy with Stan in private. It didn't matter, he could wait until the end of the summer to be free, and in the meantime watch Ford's fall to despair. There was nothing Sixer could do to stop him, he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. It was like a timed bomb, and the timer was already counting down.

He watched the kid as they went upstairs, they were tense, but Bill doubted he was the cause, because they had been fairly at ease with him in the forest. For one reason or another, tense was still tense, and the kid was tight as a knot. Not that he cared, he was just curious, in fact it served them well for binding him with a filthy piece of paper. How degrading.

The room was one he remembered. He had seen it when Ford lived alone, working and studying and drinking from Bill's lies like they were ambrosia. Back then it was full of artifacts, no doubt collected during Ford's investigation, it was full of dust too. Ford was too busy with the portal to clean it properly.

Bill had seen it too when the twins were installed there for the summer, just a brief glimpse, but enough to tell him more about Pine Tree and Shooting Star than anything they could ever say. There were books, a board full of pictures and pieces of cut away newspaper all conected with red threads. There was glitter too, colorful magazines and clothes thrown randomly arond the floor. It seemed like two worlds colliding into one room.

Now that Pepper was in it... there were only books. And not the kind Pine Tree had (his were fantasy books, the kind you read as a hobby), these were text books. On top of a recently installed table (it was where Shooting Star's bed had been) rested what Bill supposed were the usual books a twelve year old would use in school: math, social studies, some sort of biology book... But what picked Bill's curiosity were the books sitting on the nightstand and carefully arranged nearby on the floor in knowledge towers. The tomes displayed a series of titles related to psychology; 'The social animal', 'Thinking, fast and slow', 'Predictably irrational' and 'The honest truth about dishonesty' were some of them. Though the books about psychology were the vast majority, Bill still found some scattered about different things, like 'A beginners guide to neuroscience' or a few about phylosophy. All in all, not the kind of thing he was expecting to find in a teenager's room.

The little knot of nerves disguised as a kid was in the table now, reading something about algebra from their math book with a blank expression. Again, not what he was expecting. And Woodpecker was ignoring him again.

"Well... Not to be a party pooper," he said, floating towards the window, "it has been a pleasure to meet you, and see your grunkles after all this time has been really nostalgic." He swept a fake tear from under his eye. "But I have to go, you know, I have places to be, people to meet..." Suddenly he stopped floating, falling to the ground with a thud. "Ouch! What the-?"

"You can't leave," Pepper talked for the first time since they arrived at the shack, "Ford said you had to stay." They had stood up too, and situated themselves between Bill and the window. Not that it mattered, thought Bill bitterly, he wasn't tall enough to reach it anyways.

"You can prevent me from floating too?!" Pepper shrugged.

"It's magic," then they recited, " If the aim of these powers is ever percieved by Pepper Pines as harmful or detrimen-"

"Yes, yes. I get it!" He walked to the bed (his legs wobbled, unused to the exercise after years of floating) and climbed on it, letting himself fall face first into the sheets with a groan. Seconds of silence passed by, then he heard shuffling, someone walking towards him, and the oposite side of the bed sunk under Pepper's weight.

"Why is it nostalgic?"

"Why is what nostalgic?" Came the muffled response.

"You said that seeing Ford and Stan again had been nostalgic, you knew them before?" Bill sat, using the pillow to support his back.

"Why do you call them Stan and Ford? Aren't they your family?" Pepper frowned, the hands around their knees (that they had been hugging against their chest) tightened. Bill knew that they were on the defensive.

"I asked first." Bill let out an amused huff and rolled his eye.

"Okay let's make a deal-"

"Ford said no deals."

"Not a deal deal, geez Woodpecker, you have to let your hair down a little! Live your life! Now, what I was going to say. An answer for an answer, yes? You answer my questions, I answer yours." Pepper seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Okay, but you go first."

"I met them years ago, and we had a... disagreement." Pepper huffed, annoyed at his vague explanation, but a deal was a deal.

"I don't know them." At Bill's face of disbelief (Pepper thought that it was disbelief, but with just one eye and no other features it was hard to tell) they clarified. "I know them, but I don't know know them, I saw them in person for the first time yesterday. Did you met my father too?"

"Yes, I met him. In fact, you could say that we were... inseparable, for a brief period of time." Bill almost chuckled at the inside joke, but stopped himself at the last minute. He knew he had caught Woodpecker's attention, and that meant that they would be more willing to answer his questions. The more he knew about them, the easier it would be to manipulate them. He had done it before with Sixer and a bunch of other naive idiots thirsty for knowledge, he could surely trap this kid in a web of half truths again. He didn't knew what would he use them for – he wasn't short of pawns – but this kid would regret binding him to a contract, that was just a matter of time. "Are all those books yours? They seem to be... advanced, for your age."

"I like psychology, it helps you understand people."

"Yeah but do you understand the books?" Bill really doubted it.

"Sometimes I don't, but I just keep reading the part I don't get until it makes sense. And now you owe me two answers. What kind of 'disagreement' did you had with Stan and Ford? And why do they want you back as a statue?"

"I tried to change the world for a better place, but the people around here is too narrow minded, too stupid. Aaand they decided that I was dangerous, hence the statue." He ended with a roll of his eye. Bill's next question was left unspoken though, as the door suddenly opened to reveal Stan.

"Alright kid, this is the plan. You keep the weirdo around you and under control, no weird tricks." the last part was directed at Bill. "Here's a print of the contract, Ford has hidden the original somewhere safe, just in case. Now we're going to have a normal lunch and afterwards we're going fishing in a normal lake with normal fishes. Got it? Both of you? Good. Now get your asses in the kitchen."

They followed Stan downstairs (Pepper let Bill float again, if only to avoid hearing his complaints), he seemed grumpy, but no more than ususal. When they arrived Ford was nowhere to be seen, and neither were his plate, so Pepper deduced that he had taken it to his lab (wherever it was) to eat there and possibly find a way to get rid of Bill. Not that Pepper knew why, the triangle hadn't been of much help and neither Stan or Ford had explained anything to them.

Lunch was awkward, silent, and none of the present wanted to be there. The sound of the cuterly against the plates was amplified by the lack of conversation . Bill had tried, but he got no reaction, so now he was sulking in a chair and all they could see of him was his upper angle, that peeked from under the table. He looked like the most ridiculous player of hide and seek.

Soos arrived half an hour later, when they were putting away the dishes in the dishwasher, sporting a paifully orange life jacket over his casual clothes. He chatted a little with Pepper, then saw Bill sitting on the chair he was going to use and procceeded to scream his lungs out and hide behind Stan, who was trying very hard not to yell at him.

"Soos! Soos stop screaming!"

"But Mister Pines! It's the demon dude! In the kitchen!"

"Yes, it's... Look it's long, let's get to the lake and I'll explain while fishing okay?"

The ride on the car was... Pepper didn't know how to describe it. Bill had voiced pretty loud his opinions on why he should have the front seat (an argument that he was never meant to win) and when he finally had agreed to go on the back with Pepper (because he wasn't sitting with Question Mark) they had almost had to wrestle him to put on the seat belt. He didn't shut up in the whole trip.

From the whole ordeal Pepper got one indisputable hard truth: Bill Cipher was an insufferable prick and they wanted him back as a statue, evil or not. And they wanted to throw the statue into the lake.

The lake itself was beautiful, surrounded by trees and glittering in the sun. Pepper had no doubt that aunt Mable must've loved it, they could imagine her and their father laughing and splashing about waist deep in the water. It was a pity that Pepper's head was pounding with the beginnings of a killing headache and they would not be able to fully enjoy the scenery. It was the prize to pay for a day full of stress, it wasn't uncommon and they had learnt to take at least one ibuprofen pill with them just in case, so it wasn't a major problem, but it was still annoying.

Stan parked the car and directed them to the docking bay where their boat was waiting, except, it wasn't a boat.

"Stan?" Said Pepper, making the old man turn with a smug smile. He already knew what they were going to ask.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Why is there a ship in the lake?"

"Ah, this?" He said proudly. "This, is the Stan O' war."

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